Game Of Thrones and Porridge star Peter Vaughan dies aged 93

Colin Ainscough

Game Of Thrones actor Peter Vaughan has died at the age of 93, his agent said.

The star was best known for his role as Maester Aemon in the TV hit, while he also appeared in sitcom Porridge.

A statement from his agent, Sally Long-Innes, said: "This is to confirm that very sadly Peter Vaughan passed away at approximately 10.30 this morning.

"He died peacefully with his family around him."

Despite being in only three episodes of Porridge alongside Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale, Vaughan made his mark as villain Harry "Grouty" Grout.

He was appearing in a play when he was asked to take on the role.

"I still get people saying 'Let you out, have they, Grouty?" the actor said more than 40 years later.

"I was in just three episodes and, of course, the feature film, so I have to thank the writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais for the fact I'm one of the characters people always remember when they talk about Porridge because Grouty is so prominent - even though I'm not there.

"Everybody's frightened to death of him, so they talked about him a lot and so it was a huge character but I didn't have to be there," he previously told the Sunday Post.

Vaughan was also known for 1970s TV series Citizen Smith and later, Our Friends In The North, playing Felix Hutchinson, Christopher Eccleston's character's father.

He played "a hard nut with Alzheimer's" and said afterwards: "It was the first time that had been done."

He also appeared in 1967 spy thriller The Naked Runner, starring Frank Sinatra.

"The great thing about Frank was that you had to stand up to him very quickly. If you did that, he respected you, otherwise he'd walk all over you," Vaughan said.